This is Our Brain on Gratitude

"Halellujah!!" (Becky's grandson Georgie either doin' the wave or praisin' God...)

Yesterday was a day full of joyful gratitude, and in fact, both Dr. Henslin and I found ourselves in tears over some of the days happy events. Here's a few things that made flowers o' joy bloom in our heads!

1. Dr. Daniel Amen graciously sent out a newsletter to hundreds of thousands of his followers, promoting Dr. Henslin's book. This sent our Amazon ranking from 250,000 to 250 yesterday! We were, for at least one hour, #11 on the Christian bookseller list. Thank you to our dear friend and mentor, Dr. Amen, for this generous help.

2. Dr. Henslin has been booked for a full 30 minutes on the CBN show, Living the Life, and today, we received happy news that he'll be on the full hour with Janet Parshall's radio show. (We'll let you know the air dates soon.)

3. We have received some WONDERFUL reviews on Amazon this week. But the following review, from Cheri Hill... just overwhelmed us. Thank you so much Cheri. We do not know you, but you made our day:

from amazon.com This is Your Brain on Joy
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
OverJoyed!, February 3, 2009
By
Cherie Hill - See all my reviewsTwo things come to mind after reading this book, "It REALLY IS ALL in our head and we ALL need our heads examined!" Humor aside, it will be a thrill to see this book on the New York Times Bestseller list because that's exactly where it belongs. I have gotten truly tired of books published for profit-this book is written with purpose; its purpose is to help all of us understand ourselves better- how we think, why we feel, and how to live a more joyful life, in spite of our brain's sometimes less than perfect wiring. One of the great joys in reading a wonderful book is sensing the author's heart and soul pour out into the pages and then reach out and capture yours; Dr. Henslin does just that. Not only is he a Christian and a devoted follower of Christ, but he is not afraid to share his faith even through the study of science. Dr. Henslin has finally provided the bridge between Christianity and Psychology (and Science).

I must say, Dr. Henslin had me at: "I always grin when science finally catches up to scriptural truths."

Truthfully, I've gotten tired of reading nonfiction in the Christian genre that is nothing but a canned message of compiled sermons or teachings, meant to keep you filled with joy on nothing but hope and a prayer. What about when your body is depleted of what it needs to function properly? A scripture and a prayer will mean little to nothing if the part of your brain that controls your anger or fears is not functioning properly. This book provides you the opportunity to begin living a joyful life from the inside out.

Dr. Henslin brilliantly writes with humor and presents scientific evidence that will change your life, if you follow the path he lays out throughout the book. Dr. Henslin's choice of Scripture to coincide with his practice of psychotherapy is nothing less than fantastic. You will not only find this book an AMAZING resource in itself, but it is filled with an abundance of resources that will enable you to change your life with little effort on your part; Dr. Henslin has done the ground work for you. Okay, so you don't want to have a "brain scan" or you simply can't afford it....fine, Dr. Henslin provides the "Dr. Amen Brain System Checklist" that will allow you to venture into your brain without the scan. After taking the test, you will get a better idea of what areas of your brain are functioning properly and which ones need help. Not only that, but the book is divided into those five parts so that you can go right to where you, personally, need to go to get started. Dr. Henslin gives specifics as to how to supplement your body for optimal brain functioning and fantastic techniques by which to help you find balance in your life....and most of all, true joy.

Honestly, this is one of the most fantastic books I've ever read in regard to Psychology. Having majored in Psychology, I have longed for that moment when there would be a bridge between my faith and the study of the mind; now that Dr. Henslin has provided that bridge, I am "overjoyed" and you will be too, when you finally understand yourself (how and why you think, feel, and act the way you do) after reading this fantastic and brilliant book!

4. Then, Dr.Henslin got this lovely email from a woman who has found great success in helping her autistic child through some of the break-throughs in nutritional and brain therapies. Earl says, "I have seen remarkable improvement in children with a variety of mood/ brain issues using high quality fish oil. (There's at least one story about this in the book.) Way to go, Karen! Proactive parents who do not give up on their kids always make me want to stand up and cheer."

Karen Beauvais wrote at 1:48pm on February 2nd, 2009
" Dr. Amen has been a gift to the Autism community that has long suffered spiritual stigmas.Poor parenting, demons, refrigerator mothering etc. My son has had miraculous brain healing from stewarding well over his body (gluten casein diet,supplements like PC/PS, Omegas, and heavy metal removal.) Found through earnestly praying and asking God for answers, after the neurologist declared there was no hope. Today instead of a severely autistic son who often ran off, burned himself unaware and several times nearly drowned, we have a beautiful verbal kid in a normal classroom.Your work will be very important to the Christian community. I can not wait to get the book.God Bless and may many find the secret to joy and health."

For more of the latest information on helping autism in a variety of ways, Karen recommends this website http://www.generationrescue.org/action.html

5. I got this email from Earl yesterday, and I think it says why I count it such a privilege to be co-laborers together, along with so many others, to help get this information to as many hurting people as we can. Earl's tender heart is huge. He's the real deal.

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement through the years...for some reason the emails that have come in today bring tears to my eyes....Maybe it is also the Michael Smith cd in the background where he is singing " Majesty"....

God is so kind and gracious to give a sinner like myself an opportunity to share about brain and heart health...to communicate hope, and life through Christ in a way that is different and will reach people that might not be usually reached...to have a chance to give hope for the hurting Christian...that there is no shame in seeking help...that there are causes that can be identified with a spect scan that make it real...that our spiritual health might be helped through the right change in diet, supplements, therapy, prayer....all the tools that God gives us..

These times are tough and scary economically for all of us...I would appreciate your prayersthat God uses it in a profound way...

You can help by....1. Praying for me...2. Those you receiving this that have good media experience and know me...do not hesitate to send me suggestions...Thank you so much for your friendship....love and support. Wanted you to share in the joy of this moment....Love,Earl

So, today's blog is just us being grateful to God, to you, for the privilege of meaningful work, loving family and friends. What's on your Gratitude List?